Vintage Scottish Brooch by John Hart, Glasgow

A circular brooch formed of openwork intertwined Celtic knotwork, with a collet set cabochon moss agate in the centre. The reverse has a hinged steel pin with scroll safety clasp. The hallmarks struck to this fine piece are certainly a full set of Edinburgh marks but the delicate nature of the silverwork has meant they have virtually all been off-struck. The ‘JH’ maker’s mark, ‘IONA’, Edinburgh town mark, and ‘thistle’ representing sterling silver are all present, however the date letter has been lost.

John Hart trained as an engraver before joining the Glasgow silversmithing firm Celtic Art Industries. By the early 1950s he had established himself as an independent silversmith and sold much of his work to The Iona Shop which had branches in Glasgow and Oban. In 1979 he retired and his son (also called John) merged his own fledgling workshop with his father’s at Iochdar in South Uist.

Dimensions:

Diameter 3.6cm

Weight 9.9g